


A New Christmas Tradition

by Anthrobrat



Category: Band of Brothers (TV 2001)
Genre: Christmas 1946, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-War, Pre-Christmas in New Jersey, making new traditions, newlyweds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:47:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28112622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthrobrat/pseuds/Anthrobrat
Summary: Their first Christmas as a married couple and they won't be spending it together. Dick can feel Nix retreating into himself as they prepare for their holiday apart, but Dick thinks if he could just get Nix the perfect present, something to keep Lew warm and keep the loneliness at bay, maybe they'll make it.A PreChristmas Tradition is born, with a few surprises on the way. There will be decorating, hot cocoa, and dinner at home. And, of course, Dick finds the perfect present.
Relationships: Lewis Nixon/Richard Winters
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28
Collections: Heavy Artillery Holiday Exchange 2020





	A New Christmas Tradition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [churchkey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/churchkey/gifts).



> For churchkey and her soft cozy WinNix obsession.

Dick woke up like he often did on that first Saturday morning of December - early, with a start, expecting a shelling - and reacted to his racing heart in the same way he had for the last three months. He reached for the gold band that now hung where his dog tags once did. As his heartbeat started to return to normal, he became conscious of his surroundings: Lew’s breath between his shoulder blades, his forehead pressed against Dick’s spine in slumber. 

They usually needed their space to sleep, but sometimes, when it was cold or he was stressed, Lew would curl up with just his forehead against Dick’s back. The similarity to their most recurrent position in his foxhole was not lost, and it might have been what spurred the racing heart that particular morning. It was okay, Dick thought, because at least Lew, who seemed to have a harder time sleeping under a distinct lack of shelling, looked peaceful. Dick was willing to give his racing heart for Lew’s comfort if that’s what it took.

Prioritizing his love’s comfort and stability was just what a person did for his husband, right? He idly wondered if he would get tired of saying that word: husband. Lew was his. Until death do them part. They had said those words in front of Harry and Kitty under their favorite tree. Now, they were living in New Jersey as “bachelors” and working what one might consider the worst jobs ever, but they were together, and to Dick that was everything. 

Woolen socks and sweater acquired from the end of the bed, Dick got up and headed for the attached bathroom. Out the window, giant snowflakes fluttered in the early morning light. He snorted at the amount that had fallen the night before. Snow in Bastogne had been disorienting while in Pennsylvania it was picturesque, but in New Jersey it just meant car accidents on the way to work and tardy employees for days to come. It also, for the first time that year, made him question the utility of morning PT. Crawling back into bed, or making coffee and waking Lew to watch the snowfall from the living room, sounded perfect right then. Sounded like something Lew might get out of bed for. Sounded like something he’d invariably do when he got back.

First he’d complete his morning calisthenics. He quietly pulled his long johns and heavy sweats out of the drawer as he thought about this compulsion. Running had started as a habit, a way to keep himself in fighting shape, and then along the way it had become a key piece of his identity. The ritual of it - the warm up, stretching, three miles of running, the rhythm of push ups and sit ups - was an integral part of his daily routine, and his time to organize his thoughts for the day ahead. He would hate to give that up just because it was snowing and cold and reminded him a little of Belgian misery. Dick glanced back at Lew, curled even further into himself in the bed, and grabbed an extra blanket to throw over him. 

The local timber supply company’s calendar that hung by the door was still showing November, so Dick stopped to switch it to the correct month before making his way downstairs to start the coffee. He tucked his head a little further into the neck of his sweater and warmed his hands over the stove while the coffee percolated. One cup by the window and then he would put his boots on and go finish his three miles. 

From the tiny kitchen window, Dick could see the accumulation in the yard, and began to consider the upcoming holiday. Thanksgiving had been tough; he’d had to go back to Pennsylvania and Stanhope made Lew remain in New Jersey, so their first big holiday together as a married couple was spent exactly opposite that. They needed to figure out a way around having to spend Christmas apart as well, but Dick hadn’t found a good enough excuse yet. They could both snub tradition and expectations and lock themselves away in this house on this culdesac in Nixon, New Jersey that was not exactly on Lew’s parents’ property but was certainly close enough, but that risked the appearance of a Nixon on their doorstep. 

Maybe in a few more years, when they were established bachelors and their mothers got tired of cooking dinner for sons who still hadn’t brought home new wives or children, they would stop being invited home. Dick loved his family, but this new life he was leading sometimes made him want to drift into obscurity. It would be easier. Especially for Lew, who he could tell carried a burdensome load between trying to live up to the family legacy he didn’t want and trying to hold on to a relationship that no one else would want for him. 

Dick just wanted Lewis to be happy, that was really all he could ask for, but his happiness always seemed to be fleeting and unsystematic. It constantly confounded Dick, but he hated retreating, so he would figure out a way to make it work. They would make it work. If he and Lew could devise a plan for attacking a town with no cover, they could find a way to be happy in New Jersey. They would hang tough.

Finishing his coffee and putting on his boots, Dick swore to himself that he would find a path forward that didn’t include the two of them being miserable from mid November to late December for the rest of their days. They could make their own traditions. Maybe he would give Lew something to take with him to his parents’ house for Christmas, to make it less lonely. He pondered the plan as his muscles warmed and he picked up speed. 

Three miles, 100 sit-ups, and 50 push-ups done, Dick showered and made another pot of coffee before returning to their bedroom with a steaming mug of black coffee. After placing it on Lew’s bedside table, Dick climbed back under the covers and cuddled up behind his husband.

“Nix. Hey Nix,” he whispered into the spot just behind Lew’s ear. “Snow on the ground means hot coffee and not leaving these blankets. You in?” 

“Hmmm that sounds like a nice day.” Lew hefted himself and rolled over so they were facing each other before burrowing into Dick and letting his cold nose take refuge in the hollow of his throat. If Dick wasn’t careful Lew would fall back to sleep and he’d be stuck staring at the perfection of Lew’s eyelashes while pins and needles overtook his left arm.

“Come on, Lew. Coffee.” Dick nudged him with his shoulder until his husband sighed and moved over to fluff his pillow and sit to drink his coffee. Dick sat as well, and pulled his book out of the drawer. Lew’s form quickly went from leaning against the headboard to leaning against Dick’s chest, but he had made promises about snow and bed so he curled his arm around Lew’s shoulder and kept reading. 

“What’s the book?” Lew asked into his mug.

_ “Eleven Came Back _ ”

“Hmmmm… your newest from the library?” Lew tried to lift his head, but Dick put his chin in the way as he answered in the affirmative. 

“That very one. You can read it when I’m done.”

“I think you should read it to me right now.”

“You want me to read to you? Aloud?”

“No, Dick, I want you to read to me silently. Yes, aloud. Please?”

“Sure, but no asking questions about characters you won’t know.” Dick stole Lew’s coffee out of his hand and took a sip to soothe his throat, reading aloud from page 52.

Lew burrowed deeper under the blankets to the point he was indeed just laying in Dick’s lap. Dick brushed his fingers through Lew’s thick mass of hair in between each page turn, twisting locks until they stuck straight out only to smooth them down once again. Lew pulled the duvet up far enough so that basically the only thing showing was his hair, and then wrapped an arm around Dick’s waist.

“Don’t know how you’re out there, it’s so cold,” Lew mumbled against the skin of his hip. He could feel Lew’s breath through the sweater he’d thrown back on. Dick knew it was a rhetorical statement, so he just continued in his book and his fingers in Lew’s hair until Lew moaned against him and shifted the blanket a fraction farther up.

“I’m still warm from morning PT. You should try it someday.” Instead of agreeing, Lew burrowed further into him instead of the blankets. At this rate, he worried he’d start sweating again. He wanted to ask Lew’s opinion about the holidays, but didn’t want to break the moment so he kept reading until the sun was far enough up in the sky. “We should shovel the drive before it ices over.” 

It took thirty more pages, three more tries, and the promise of one more hot cup of coffee before Lew was willing to get out of the bed, but eventually they put their boots and coats on and went out to shovel the walk and the driveway. The snow was light since the cold had really descended, and Dick looked down at his warm insulated gloves and thought about how quickly he had come to take certain comforts for granted. 

It made him want to decorate the entire house with every available piece of tinsel he could find. Dick’s parents had always been modest holiday decorators, and he certainly hadn’t expected to feel this way, but some sort of rogue happiness had taken him that day and with it came an errant need to populate their home with holiday cheer. He wanted to spend an afternoon trying to keep Lew from eating the popcorn before it was strung on the tree. 

A facefull of snow jerked Dick from his revelry and replaced it with Lewis Nixon’s laughter from 5 feet off. 

“Christ, Dick, your face. You didn’t even see it coming!” Lew was bent over with laughter, his jet black hair damp with snow and completely askew. He composed himself and walked over, that crooked grin still splitting his face. “I thought you’d at least see me make it, or throw it, shit I don’t know.”

“I was woolgathering,” Dick said as he wiped the snow off his face. Lew helped, scooping it out of his collar before taking a minute to place his hands around Dick’s neck to warm it back up. “Lew, people could see.”

“They could, if there was anything to see, right?” Lew gave him a small smile and caressed his jaw quickly before stepping away. They needed to get out of this neighborhood if they were going to survive. 

“I want to decorate the house,” Dick blurted out before his mind thought better of it. 

“What?” Lew answered, taken aback by either the abrupt change of subject or Dick’s request. Dick wasn’t really sure which. Neither bode well.

“The house. Might look nice with some decorations. Garland, a tree, maybe some candles.”

“Garland? Sure hon, just don’t fall off the ladder huh?”

“I’m serious, Lew. It seems fitting I think.”

“Fitting?”

“Can you stop turning my words into questions, please? We’re married now, so we should do something nice.”

“If you want to decorate, have at it.” Lew said as he put the shovel away and headed back into the house. It wasn’t the reaction he’d been hoping for, but it was the reaction he’d expected. He trudged up the walk behind Lew, trying to keep up, but the man was on a mission.

“Garland. We could at least put up garlands. No tree, no wreath, no mistletoe, but something to know it’s Christmas and we’re not stuck in a foxhole, Lew.” He grabbed Lew’s arm as he said it, and as he turned and saw what Dick’s face must have looked like at that moment, he sighed and conceded.

“Fine Hun. Let’s hang garland around the living room. It’ll be great.” Lew tried to smile, then sighed and walked into the house. His tone had been one of tired acquiescence, and made Dick feel worse for having pushed, so he stayed silent as he followed. Once back in the warmth of the house, Lew took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips, letting his head fall between his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Dick.”

“I know. I shouldn’t’ve pushed.” Dick reached out and wrapped his hands around Lew’s biceps from behind, squeezed them hard enough that he could feel it through his coat. “But we can survive this. We can make our own memories.”

There was a lot more Dick wanted to say, but couldn’t seem to get the words past his tongue. It was okay, he knew Lew could detect meaning from the words he didn’t - couldn’t - say. Or at least he hoped as much. 

\-------

Two Monday mornings later, Dick woke up slowly and full of dread. Christmas was fast approaching, Dick and Lew hadn’t found the time to decorate, and Dick still had no idea what sort of present he could get Lew that would make up for them missing yet another holiday together. He had scoured the local department store with no luck. He wasn’t even sure what type of gift it should be. He just knew that he wanted Lew to feel whole again. Dick had thought staying together would be enough, but that had been wishful thinking. Until they could get out from underneath Stan and his expectations, Dick wasn’t sure Lew would ever feel human. 

He was walking into his office a few hours later, lamenting that it was ten days until Christmas and he had nothing to show for all his searching. This was their first married Christmas, and although Dick had never put a lot of meaning into the gifts he gave during this particular holiday, it felt different this time around. He wouldn’t give Lew just anything. At that point he would have rathered get nothing. Divine intervention would be his only saving grace.

“Oh! Dick! Just the person I was looking for!”

“Hi Mary, what can I do for you?”

“Well, I was going to ask Lewis, but I’m just not sure how he feels about the whole thing, and the responsibility.”

“Mary, what is it?”

“Well, Richard,” she said, wringing her hands like she had robbed a bank, “my sweet Bitty, the Cocker Spaniel? She had a litter, and I had homes for all of them but then one fell through and I wanted to see if maybe you wanted to take the pup.”

Suddenly, as though that letter had arrived from God on high, Dick understood exactly what he needed to buy for Lew for Christmas. He could take the dog with him to dinner; he’d have to, if it was still potty training. Maybe this was the piece that had been missing since the letter from Kathy. Lew couldn’t get his old life back, but Dick could at least give him this one thing.

“I’ll take him.”

“Her.”

“Her. Does she have a name?”

“Well, the kids’ve been calling her Bessy, but I suppose you could name her whatever you need.”

“When’ll she be ready to take home?” 

“Most people are coming to get their pups this weekend, so they can surprise the kids for Christmas I guess. I’d like to say we planned it, Richard, but it was all Bitty’s doing.”

“Alright, I can come pick her up on the Saturday afternoon. Thank you, Mary. It was nice of you to think of us.” He coughed, realizing what he’d just said. “Of me.”

Dick continued on past Mary’s desk, that looked like the Sears Christmas Catalogue had exploded everywhere, to his own office, where Mary had hung a wreath on the door. Inside, there was just a small poinsettia on the corner of his desk. He rubbed one of the bright red leaves between his finger and thumb before sitting down to think about the yearslong responsibility he had just acquired on impulse. It seemed like a lot, but Dick remained certain that it had been the right choice, and that Lew would love the little pup. He didn’t even know what she looked like, but the decision felt right. 

When Lew finally strolled into work two hours later, Dick tried and failed to keep his feet out of his husband’s office. He not-so-casually strolled in while Lew was still righting his hair after trudging through yet another snow storm. At this rate they’d be lucky to be able to get to their families’ houses for the holiday. Maybe they’d get snowed in and be forced to spend Christmas together. A man could certainly pray, and now Dick’s prayers would be ever more pointed. 

“Morning, Nix,” Dick said as he closed the door and leaned against it. Now that he had a present, he needed a plan. “Tomorrow night, I’m breaking us out of here early. Be ready.”

“Me? You want me to be ready to leave this place earlier than my appointed quitting time? Dick, how could you?” His smile was more than a little devious.

“You’ll live. We’re decorating.” Dick waved his hand at Lew’s dropped jaw. “A few strings of garland and some candles. I don’t care if you hate it.” 

Dick smiled as big as he could even though he was desperately worried of being rebuffed once again. Lew’s eyes got very serious for a moment before he approached Dick. At the point where Dick thought he might stop in front of him he continued. Lew didn’t stop approaching until they were toe to toe and nose to nose. 

“Can we at least make hot toddies?” he whispered against Dick’s mouth. When Dick laughed, Lew kissed his smiling face. “Well, hot chocolate or something for the Major I suppose.”

“You’ll do it?” Dick whispered across Lew’s cheek. In response Lew squeezed Dick’s hips, not pulling them together, but more of a reassurance. A connection. Dick’s eyes were momentarily drawn to the matching poinsettia on Lew’s desk behind him before snapping back toward Lew’s face when he spoke.

“Of course, otherwise what good am I?”

“Lew,” Dick sighed. It still caught him wrong when he was so self defeating. 

“I know. Tomorrow night. I’ll be there. I’ll even get the good pastrami sandwiches from the deli down the street. With extra mustard for yours.” 

“You’re a good man.” He swooped in and kissed Lew full on the mouth before righting himself and sliding backwards out the door. If there was a spring in his step on his way back to his own office, no one mentioned it. 

The next night, after making two terrible excuses and hightailing it out of work, Dick found himself across from Lew at the kitchen table eating delicious pastrami sandwiches and staring at a box of red and green garland and two strings of little bell-shaped plug-in lights, with a well known tuft of green atop the pile.

“Dick, is that mistletoe?”

“It came with the lights, I didn’t ask for it.”

“Did they ask if your wife would like the mistletoe?”

“That may have come up, yes, but I thought it might be festive.” Dick tried to look chagrined, but he was pretty sure he was coming across as smug. Lew shook his head and took a giant bite of his pastrami sandwich, once again eyeing the boxes of decorations like they might attack. 

“My mother pays someone to decorate our house. I don’t think I know how to hang garland.”

“I take it you’ve also never made strings for the tree out of popcorn either, then.”

“Mrs. Nixon’s little boy? Most certainly not. We were civilized, remember?” Lew said it with a laugh in his voice, but Dick found himself feeling sad for the memories that Lew’s childhood was starkly devoid of. “I suppose we should start. You’ll have to show me how it’s done.”

Lew started out reluctant, dragging his feet and complaining and sipping his Vat, but soon enough he got into the holiday spirit as much as Lew got into anything that wasn’t expressly his idea. They secured candles in the windows of the living and dining rooms and hung garland and string lights around the moulding and across the windows. 

When they had finally finished, and Dick was lighting the last candle in the window, Lew came over and wrapped his arms around Dick’s middle. For a while he just stood there, in the window, with his chin resting on Dick’s shoulder, like he wanted to see their decorations, or maybe the whole world, from Dick’s point of view. 

“We need our own holiday tradition,” Dick finally got up the courage to say. “But Christmas in church with my family is important, Lew. I’m not sure what to do.”

“Hmmm, I could just skip my family’s shenanigans. Come hold your hand during Christmas Eve mass. Would that work for you?”

“You know it would, but you can’t.”

“Well, I’ll be honest with you, Dick.” Lew nuzzled his nose into the crook of his neck, like he loved to do when he needed something. “I don’t much care for the December 25th part, but I’d happily celebrate with you before you leave. We can make it special. Dinner? Presents? Sex after?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like a nice idea.” Dick drew his hand through the hair on the back of Lew’s head, scratching behind his ears, and sliding his hand down Lew’s neck before pulling it back. His luck continued. “We could do it Saturday.”

“Well that leaves me three fewer days to get you a gift, but I suppose it could be arranged.” Lew reached his tongue out just enough to touch Dick’s skin. The sensation tickled but he held his own. Lew’s sigh warmed his neck as he drew one arm further around Dick’s waist, the other coming up to his shoulder to hold them together. Lew continued the attack on his neck then, and he couldn’t, didn’t want to get away. 

“Decorations are done, should we go to bed?” Dick asked, leaning to the side to give Lew the space to make him feel good. 

“I think bed is an excellent idea.” Lew’s arms, which were still holding his waist and shoulder, unfurled enough for Dick to turn around and kiss him once more on the lips. He took Lew’s hands in his own and led him up the stairs to their bed, and if he felt a moment of sadness at the fact that there was another bed in the house that was technically his, he didn’t let it bother him just then. He backed his husband up to the bed and tipped him over before crawling on top of him. He was looking forward to their new not-quite-Christmas tradition. 

\-------

Dick woke up on Saturday with a giddy feeling in his limbs. Heading downstairs to make his morning coffee, he smiled at the garland that was hanging along the windows in the dining room, and the candles in the windows. They made his home feel lived in and well loved, even if Lew made a comment about Macy’s displays every time he walked in. He touched the edge of the -- arguably kind of gaudy -- green garland that hung down from the window, reliving the good time they’d had that Tuesday night.

Lew had refused to hang the mistletoe, because  _ there is no way I am going to watch Blanche try to lead you under there to get her hands on you.  _ That seemed fair enough, and maybe making it seem as though the two of them kissed under the mistletoe wasn’t something either should be doing when they were already on thin ice living together. It hadn’t kept Lew from holding the green bouquet over his head and chasing Dick around while he tried to organize the garland. It had ended with the two of them rolling around on the floor, pieces of mistletoe strewn in their hair. 

Those moments of genuine happiness were what kept him going on the days when Dick wished that life were just a little different. The days he found himself angry they weren’t readily accepted, or when he wished that one of them was a woman, or something, anything, to make this easier. But then maybe that would have set them on entirely different paths, never to have fallen in love in the first place, and the thought of living without having known Lewis Nixon III was a miserable one indeed. 

All of that was to say that Dick didn’t want things to be easy, he just wanted to find a way for them to reach a small oasis of happiness in the current ocean of extenuating circumstances. Hence the puppy he was scheduled to pick up in a few hours. He figured he should shop for all the necessary amenities for this dog they were going to be caring for for the foreseeable future. Just as he began to make a list of what to buy, Lew walked into the kitchen. 

“You’re up early” Dick said, tilting his head to smile at Lew while sliding the list out of his line of sight. 

“Couldn’t sleep. Woke up thinking about Christmas presents. I still need one for my mother and one for Blanche.”

“I’m heading into town today, if you’d like to come,” Dick asked, hoping his husband wouldn’t take him up on it.

“If I go it won’t be until later, you go on without me.” Lew smiled indulgently and waved him off.

“Did you still want to have dinner together tonight? Make it an early Christmas just for the two of us before I leave for Pennsylvania?” He realized in that moment that he had expected the plans but hadn’t actually made any past picking out the day.

“Of course,” Lew said in a more serious tone before he winked. “I even found you a present.”

“I’ll make a grocery run while I’m in town as well. It might be a while, but I’ll be back with enough time to cook.”

“Steak. Can we have steak?”

“Sure Lew. We can have whatever you want.” Dick leaned in and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. He was really starting to get excited about getting Lew a dog. He hadn’t come around to contemplating what portion of the work would also fall onto him. It couldn’t be any more difficult than anything else in his life, and it might be nice to have company on his morning runs. It had become clear in the year they’d been home that his husband was not going to be that company. Lew loved his relaxation.

Before Dick could turn and jog out the door, Lew stopped him and turned him around once more. He was about to open his mouth and ask what else Lew needed, but was cut off by warm lips on his own. Lew didn’t waste any time wrapping his arms around Dick’s shoulders and pulling him in until they were fully pressed together, shoulders to knees. Finally getting with the program, Dick slid his own hands around Lew’s waist, dipping his fingers into the waistband of his pajama pants. 

When he pulled back, he looked into Lew’s hazy eyes and smiled back at him. God but he was worth it. Lew began to sway them back and forth, looking into Dick’s eyes. He tried not to be embarrassed of dancing without music in the kitchen with his husband, but he could feel the blush creeping up his neck to his face. Lew must have noticed as well, because he bent his face down and bit Dick’s neck. 

“If I don’t get out the door, we won’t have anything to eat for dinner tonight.” 

“I’ll just eat you for dinner.” Lew’s words made the blush burn hotter in Dick’s cheeks. He had no response for the brazen words, so he just laughed and buried his nose in Lew’s hair. Even after a year of his hair no longer smelling like dirt and sweat, it was still a nice surprise to put his nose down along the hairline and smell clean citrus soap. 

Lew finally released him when he promised to be back that afternoon to make dinner and exchange gifts. Lew gave him a giant smile as he ran out the door, the holiday spirit maybe officially getting to the both of them. 

Dick had to drive three towns over to find the pet store and get the supplies for Bessy the Dog, hopefully to soon be renamed. Although he had made a list, he found himself in various discussions with the staff about the best way to feed a new puppy, how to house train, what to expect from a cocker spaniel as they grow, and new theories on how to keep them from chewing shoes. He was in his element strolling up and down the aisles while flipping through his new puppy field manuals. 

He bought enough food to last the pup for a long while, knowing that neither he nor Lew would want to come back for more, as well as a leash, an armful of chew toys, and what would probably amount to half a shelf full of books. Lew would probably never open them, preferring instead to rely on his instincts, by which Dick meant he would expect Dick to read everything and fill him in where necessary. 

Walking back out to the Buick, Dick noticed a display case at the jeweler next door. There were a few watches in the case: smaller faces than those from war, with nice leather straps. He considered the costs of everything he had just purchased, and reasoned that he could also afford a watch for Lew. They had received bonuses for the holiday, and what better way to spend this year’s money. He wandered inside before he could talk himself out of it, leaving shortly afterward with a smartly wrapped box. 

Gift purchased, Dick set out for Mary’s house to pick up the little bundle of fur. When he walked in, there were several people milling about waiting for Mary to bring out their dogs. She served him a mug of coffee and pointed him to a table full of Christmas cookies. While he waited for his turn, he gazed around the room. He remembered hearing that Bitty was a purebred cocker spaniel, but he wasn’t sure what breed she may have mixed with. The puppies each seemed to be a variant of that distinctive coppery color as Mary brought each out and introduced it to its prospective family. She took the time to explain schedules and the care each dog needed. It was shocking she hadn’t cried yet, she was that attached. 

When finally it was his turn, Mary came out with what amounted to not more than a handful of fluff. The face peeking out from between two shaggy ears looked a lot like his grandfather being woken from a nap before he was ready. The dog looked thoroughly unimpressed with the events of the day, but when Dick brought her to his chest, she placed her two tiny paws on his shoulder and relaxed into his grip. He craned his head to look down at her and caught a pair of deep black eyes. He was officially a dog owner. 

The puppy woke up briefly from her nap in the passenger’s seat when Dick had to stop at the grocery store to get the ingredients for dinner that night, but was fine staying in the car. She slept through him placing his bags in the back seat, and the whole way home, but the moment the car stopped in the drive she jumped up and looked around. 

“Okay, are you ready to meet your other dad?” Dick said to the fluff ball, before mentally berating himself for already having turned into one of those people who converses with his dog. “He doesn’t know we’re coming, so I hope this goes well. Otherwise we both might have to move into your dog house.”

Dick decided there was no reason to bring the mountain of supplies into the house just yet, so he picked her up and cradled her against his chest as he got out of the car. They both took a deep breath as he walked up the steps to the front door and twisted the handle. 

“Honey I’m --” Dick didn’t get the rest of the sentence out, struck dumb by the scene he was witnessing. Lew was on his hands and knees, holding up a 6ft christmas tree with his shoulder while he attempted to screw the tree stand together with the other. The dog barked in displeasure as Dick ran over to assist Lew by grabbing the tree. As he did, he noticed the boxes upon boxes of tree decorations littered around the living room. “What is this?”

“You’re home earlier than expected. I wanted to at least have some ornaments on the tree before you got here,” Lew grumbled from underneath the rows of pine branches. Dick’s heart skipped as he realized that this was the gift Lew had needed to go get. It wasn’t a last minute decision, but something he had planned specifically for the night they had marked for their own special Christmas. Dick’s eyes felt hot, and the puppy was getting antsy in his arms. 

Lew finally finished and slid out from underneath the tree, still not really looking at Dick but instead eyeing the douglas fir to check it was straight. Gazing for a long moment, tipping his head this way and that, he slid around the floor a few times to check different angles, and then finally leaned back with his hands behind him and looked up. When Dick smiled and shrugged the shoulder that held the face of their new dog, Lew did a double take. 

“Dick, you have a dog.” He sounded surprised but not unhappy, which was good. “A cute one.”

“I do have a dog. Well, technically, we have a dog.” 

“Why do we have a dog, Dick?” Lew wasn’t looking at his face, but at the bundle in his arms, and there was a smile flickering on his face. She had laid her head across his forearm when he shifted, and was now gazing down at the new human. He could feel her body tensing and relaxing, her tail considering wagging. 

“Well, Christmas is in a few days, and I know we can’t spend it together, but I figured no one would argue with you showing up with a dog. Didn’t want you to be lonely.”

“I wouldn’t have been lonely,” Lew quickly uttered. He seemed put off, but was still staring at the dog, and Dick realized this situation hadn’t happened as he’d expected. He started to sweat, but pushed on. 

“I know, Lew.” He had meant to say more, but the way Lew looked up it didn’t seem necessary. Those words were enough. His husband had realized what the gesture really meant. So Dick didn’t bother to explain further, which was fine since he didn’t have the words. 

“The last time someone gave me a dog, she left with him a few years later.”

The sound of his voice, admitting to the almost-two-year-old failure that still sometimes haunted him, squeezed hard at something in Dick’s chest. He lowered himself to kneel in front of Lewis, and put the dog down in his lap in order to cradle his face in his hands. Eyes still downcast, Lew’s hands fumbled along the dog’s back to pet her as he ran his teeth over his bottom lip. 

“You know I would never,” Dick said finally, when Lew’s eyes met his. 

“Take the dog?” He asked with a laugh, trying to wiggle out of Dick’s hold. But he kept Lew’s face for a moment more. It was important that he knew. 

“Leave you.”

His husband’s eyes closed at that, scrunching his face as though trying to hold onto those words. Dick took the reprieve to kiss him on his forehead, his cheeks, his lips. When Lew opened his eyes again it was with a smile. 

“Promise?”

“Promise. Now do you want to meet the puppy?”

“Does she have a name?”

“No.” Lew laughed at the finality with which Dick said that, his disdain for the dog’s former name palpable even with his holiday season mood. 

“Well, I guess we’ll have to name her,” Lew said as the pup rolled over in his lap to show her belly. He rubbed her belly gently, his hand enveloping most of her on each stroke.

“I suppose we will. Maybe we should get to know her first.”

Lew rolled around on the floor with their still as yet unnamed dog for a few minutes before she finally spun in a circle and passed out cold in his lap. When he looked up, it was with a twinkle in his eye, and Dick hoped that look was as much for him as for the new addition to the family. 

Lew carefully pulled the pup off his lap and placed her on his crumpled sweater on the floor. She snuffled but continued sleeping. 

“What do you think, should we get the tree decorated?” Lew whispered, smiling from his spot still sitting on the hardwood. “I even popped a bowl of popcorn to make garlands.” 

Dick stood up and laughed, knowing one bowl would make enough to go once around the tree, especially with Lew’s penchant for popcorn, but he held his tongue as he pulled Lew off the floor. He came up quickly, and didn’t stop until he was leaning into Dick’s chest, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing tight. Dick was all too happy to reciprocate, keeping them tight together with his arms around Lew’s shoulders, standing in the living room, still in his boots, with a sleeping pup at their feet. Their heads leaned together of their own accord, and Dick smiled as his red hair mixed with Lew’s black. 

He could have stayed like that all day, but they probably would now have to decorate this tree around the whims of a small cocker spaniel. Lew broke first, trying to wipe his face without showing it, and Dick figured he’d let him have a moment while he opened the first box of ornaments. By the time he had added the little hooks to the ornament balls, Lew was next to him, picking all the silver ones out and placing them haphazardly around the tree. The urge to make sure it was symmetric was strong, but Dick could fix it in the morning. For now, he just smiled at the perfection of their afternoon. 

It only took half an hour to decorate the tree. It would have taken more, but they had abandoned the popcorn garland after they had managed six inches in fifteen minutes. Then Dick made tea, which Lew added a splash to, and they sat quietly on the couch, looking at the tree and their little puppy snuggled on a sweater underneath. 

“She needs a bow to really look like she belongs,” Lew said, reaching an arm casually around Dick’s shoulders and kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

“She needs a name,” Dick replied as he followed suit with his now stocking-clad feet and leaned onto Lew’s shoulder. 

“Hmmm…” Lew seemed to contemplate this predicament as his thumb made circles around and around on Dick’s shoulder, warming more than just where it touched. Dick had always loved Christmas Mass in their church in Pennsylvania, but those years of redemption through song and prayer held not a single candle to this moment. 

“I love you, Lewis. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Dick. I love you too.” Lew kissed him hard on the mouth then, in front of their christmas tree and new dog. Just as Dick was about to open his mouth, and seek entrance into Lew’s with his tongue, a tiny yap sounded from the floor. “The beast has awoken.”

“We can take her out, let me grab the leash and collar from the car.” Dick pulled back reluctantly and trudged to the door to put his boots back on. They spent time wrestling the dog into her collar and attaching the leash before taking her on a little walk up and down the street. She was unimpressed with the snow still left over from the storm, choosing instead to squat right in the middle of the sidewalk. 

“I was thinking you could take her with you to your parent’s house on Christmas, so you have an excuse to get out of the house whenever you might need one. She’ll have to pee a lot.” 

“You bought me an excuse?”

“No, Lew, I bought you a dog. I bought us a dog.”

“I know. Thank you. I could kiss you for this.” Lew came close enough to elbow Dick in the arm. “The beast is adorable.” 

“We’re not naming our female cocker spaniel The Beast, Lew.”

Later on, once all the supplies had been brought in and set up, dinner became a production of laughter and the pitter patter of tiny claws on the floor as The Little Beast tried her hardest to beg tiny pieces of steak from her celebrating dads. When Dick got up and brought the dishes back into the kitchen, he came back to see Lew at the table with the puppy on his lap, her paws on the edge of the table and her tongue lolling out of her mouth as Lew scratched her tiny head and rubbed his fingers down her ears. 

“Already?”

“She just wanted pets, hon, she’s not on the table!” Lew grabbed her paws, lifting them off the wood of the table and into the air as if she were surrendering to a foreign invader. Little Beast licked his hands and barked happily at her dad’s attention. 

“She likes you, Lew.”

“She’s perfect, Dick.”

“I’m glad. I got you an actual gift while I was out today as well, but it seems like it might pale in comparison.”

“Well, the tree wasn’t your actual present either, darling. I did get you something as well.” Lew carefully placed the dog back on the ground and got up to get a small but carefully wrapped box from the other room. As he sat, Dick jumped up to get his own gift, calling out that he’d be right back. 

When Dick returned and set his own small, professionally wrapped box on the table, Lew laughed at the similarity between the two boxes as Little Beast - _ Dick needed to stop referring to her with that name, he was terrified of it sticking _ \- jumped into Dick’s legs until he lifted her onto his lap so she could be part of the exchange. 

“You first,” Dick said as he slid his present across the table. Lew took no time at all to rip the paper off the box and open it. He laughed and looked up as the face of the new watch glinted in the light of the dining room. “Your army issued watch broke, so I thought I’d get you a new one. The leather is much softer than what we had to wear.” 

Lew looked up from the box with a smile stretched all the way across his face. He lifted the watch out of the box and held it and his wrist out, even though he was perfectly capable of putting it on himself. It felt a little like when his father used to help his mother with her bracelet before church. It made his breath catch and his eyes burn. When it was securely fashioned, Lew turned his hand this way and that, causing reflections to dance on the ceiling to the delight of Little Beast. 

“Your turn.” Lew laughed as he passed his own box across the table. Dick carefully cut the tape with a finger nail and rolled the box until it was free of the paper. Opening it, his eyes lit up at the beautiful silver watch that stood up inside. He looked at Lew and then back at the box while Lew’s laughter at the irony subsided. “I know your army issued one didn’t break, but I thought you might want to transition to a more civilian style.”

Dick followed along with the mood of the night, taking the watch out of the box and handing it to Lew along with his wrist. It felt so similar to the exchange of their rings. His eyes got hot once more watching his husband take his scratched army issued watch off his wrist and slide the metal band over his hand to tighten around his wrist. The breath Lew let out when he was done made Dick think he had had similar thoughts. Dick turned his hand over and grabbed onto Lew’s wrist across the table while they smiled stupidly at each other. 

“So if I wanted to take you to bed now, what exactly are we supposed to do with Beast?” Dick mumbled, still looking down at their intertwined hands. 

“We should wait until she goes to sleep.” Lew laughed and raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the puppy’s slowly blinking eyes. 

“She’s almost there, should we clean up and then bring her to her bed?” 

“Leave the dishes, we’ll bring her to her bed now,” Lew whispered, worried he might excite the dog again. It didn’t matter; she perked up as soon as Dick moved, wanting to go outside and relieve herself once more. Thankfully, when they brought her back inside her eyes drooped immediately. “Do you think this is what Harry and Kitty feel like with their newborn? Is life as a parent just a never ending game of waiting for the kid to go to sleep so you can have your own fun?”

Dick let his brain slip past that errant sad thought that was Lew’s child with his ex-wife. Maybe someday they could repair those bridges. For now, they would worry about Little Beast encroaching into their private time. 

The moment her eyes fully closed, Lew pulled Dick toward their bed by the front of his very nice grey button down. They had dressed the part for dinner, with Lew in his favorite jacket and Dick in a rolled button down tucked into his slacks. It was only dinner at home, but it seemed important to put in the effort for each other. And now Dick got to push Lew’s jacket off his shoulders, which was one of his favorite pastimes. 

Lew leaned up and kissed him as Dick slid his hands under the collar of the jacket and lifted it off and down his arms. He wasted no time before licking into Lew’s mouth this time. This was them making their own memories, building their own life, and it felt good. Lew’s hands scrunching his shirt until it came free of his pants and then running up his bare back made him moan and breathe Lew’s name. The kiss may have turned passionate quickly, but past that it seemed Lew was going to take his time. 

He interlocked their fingers as he pulled Dick’s arm toward himself. He slowly unrolled the sleeve, pulling the wrinkles taught and then letting them bunch back up before taking on the other sleeve. Lew’s eyes never left the task at hand, never looked up to see whether Dick was enjoying what he was doing. He didn’t need to. He knew. Dick assumed he could hear it in his quickening breaths, feel it in the loosening of his limbs, see it in the easing of his stance. 

With both sleeves unrolled, Lew began unbuttoning the front, one button at a time, from the bottom all the way to the collar. When Dick tried to help by starting at the top and working toward the bottom, his hands were slapped back down. So he stood quietly still and waited for Lew to finish. When he was done with the shirt and undershirt, he moved to his knees and unbuttoned Dick’s slacks, pulling his shorts down with them and removing his socks and garters too. 

“Is it my turn now?” Dick asked when he was finally naked.

“No, I don’t think so. Not yet.” Lew scratched his nails up Dick’s thighs, over his hips, down his backside and back again. It felt exquisite, but Dick wanted to touch too and at that point he was just standing there squeezing his hands into fists and trying to keep from tossing Lew onto the bed before he had finished his exploration. 

Lew stood soon enough, with that infectious smile on his face, and started to unbutton his own shirt. Dick could have returned the slow torturous favor, but he really just wanted his husband naked and in his bed before the dog woke up again. When they were both finally blessedly naked they crawled onto the bed together and laid on their sides. 

“I like our new Christmas tradition,” Dick said as he sipped kisses from Lew’s lips before pushing him onto his back and climbing on top of him. The way they fit together would never cease to amaze him as he pinned Lew’s hands over his head and thrust against him. 

“Me too. We should spend all our holidays just like this. By 1952 we’ll have a whole brood of dogs.” Lew’s joke came out jagged and breathy but funny nonetheless, both of them chuckling as Dick continued his ministrations, holding onto Lew’s hands and kissing anywhere he could reach. Lew merely chuckled and moved his chin to give him room. 

Whether it was worry for the time crunch of having a new puppy or the happiness of finding a way to be together for the holiday, neither slowed down once they were naked in bed. Finally, Lew wrapped his legs around Dick, opening his eyes to savor the slow slide as Dick entered him and rocked their hips together. Dick kept one hand on Lew’s hip as they came together again and again, trying and failing to keep a steady rhythm. Soon enough, Lew was clawing at the forearm by his head as he reached down between them to touch himself. It took no time at all before they collapsed in a happy heap on the bed, breathing hard between sweet, openmouthed kisses.

Spent, Dick got up to grab a warm washcloth to clean them both and then pulled the covers up around them. The air in the room had cooled considerably in the late evening, so it felt nice to have Lew’s body heat draped over his chest. 

“Merry Christmas, Baby” Lew said against his skin before they both drifted off to sleep. Dick would miss him from the moment he drove away on Monday morning until the moment he got back on the 26th, but he felt a little better now, knowing Lew would have his Little Beast to spoil the whole time. 

\-------

Sunday morning, Dick woke up warm and happy. He was curled up on his side and his husband was curled up in the opposite direction, still close enough that he could feel his body heat. It felt more romantic than it sounded, of that he was sure. The best part was, now that he was awake he could roll over and spoon against Lew’s back and wake him slowly or maybe run his hands down Lew’s side and around his thighs. Of course, when Dick tried to turn over he was stymied by a four pound ball of fluff with giant floppy ears. 

“Lew, didn’t we discuss no dogs in the bed?” At the sound of irritation, Lew stretched and yawned and turned slowly toward him, until his movement was also stopped by the tiny ball in the bed. 

“Aww, morning sweetie,” He said toward the dog before pulling her onto his chest and glancing toward Dick. “I accidentally woke her up when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night. What was I supposed to do, leave her looking all sad on her bed? Couldn’t do it, Dick. Look at that face.” 

At his urging, Little Beast looked up at Dick with her big black eyes. They really needed a name.

“Speaking of,” Lew said, as though he had heard Dick’s thoughts. He stroked his hand down the dog’s fur in a way that made Dick want those hands on his own skin. “I think I have a name that’s not Beast.”

“I’m all ears, Lew.”

“What about Betsy? Or Betty? A play on Beast, but a little more girly? No! I’ve got it! Bessy!” 

Dick’s face couldn’t help it. His mouth must have hung open like a guppy, eyes blinking slowly. He couldn’t believe it. “Bessy, huh?” 

“I like it.”

“Bessy it is then. Bessy it is.”


End file.
